Reeling and feeding mechanism.



R. W. ARMSTRONG. REELING AND FEEDING MECHANISM.

APPLIUATION FILED OUT. 14, 1911.

1,071,545. Patented 11113.26, 1913.

UNITE STAT @FIC.

RALPH W. ARMSTRONG, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOB TO THE GRAY NATIONAL TELAUTOGRAPH COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA.

REELING AND FEEDING MECHANISM.

I T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH IV. ARMSTRONG, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, county of New York, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reeling and Feeding Mechanism, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to improvements in reeling and feeding mechanism for strips or webs of paper or other material, it being the object of the present invention to provide a mechanism of this character which is intermittently operated and which, at each operation, feeds and reels up the same length of paper or other material notwithstanding the accumulation thereof upon the reel.

The mechanism provided for this purpose by the present invention has been devised principally with a view to its use in connection with the receiving instrument of a telautograph, in which the record of the receiving pen is made upon a paper strip which is fed or drawn across the field of writing by areel, on which it is stored. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is capable of use in other situations, although it will be described particularly in connection with telautographic apparatus.

In a telautographic receiver, it is necessary that the amount of paper or other material drawn across the field of writing should be of the same length on each actua tion of the wind-up mechanism. If the paper, however, be stored upon a reel or drum, which also draws the paper across the writing field, the radial thickness of the material stored on the reel is increased, and, therefore, the amount of paper fed or drawn across the field would naturally increase upon each movement of the wind-up mechanism, unless means were provided for regulating the length fed. Means are provided by the present invention for so regulating the length fed, the means provided bearing against the surface of the paper wound on the reel so as to be actuated thereby and in turn control the actuation of the reel in such a way that, as the radial thickness of the paper wound on the reel is increased, the extent to which the reel is rotated is Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 14, 1911.

Patented A11 28,1913.

Serial No. 654,738.

correspondingly decreased so that on each actuation of the reel the proper, predetermined length of paper will be fed across the writing field and stored upon the reel.

As a full understanding of the improve ments constituting the present invention can best be had from a detailed description of an organization embodying the same, such description will now be given in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a paper feeding and reeling mechanism suitable for use in telautographic apparatus, the actuating mechanism for the reel comprising a suitably controlled magnet. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3, Fig. 1, showing the actuating mechanism ready to actuate the reel, and the mechanism for controlling said actuating mechanism in the position it occupies when but little paper has been wound upon the reel. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, illustrating the actuating mechanism also in position to actuate the reel but with the controlling mechanism therefor in a different position by reason of the accumulation of paper upon the reel. Fig. 5 is a similar view, illustrating the actuating mechanism in the position it occupies upon the completion of an actuating movement; and Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6 of Fig. 2.

Referring to said drawings, 1 represents the base of the mechanism frame, and 2, 3 standards rising therefrom and in which is suitably journaled the shaft 4 of a reel One end of the shaft 4 is so journaled in the standard 2 by means of an adjustable pivot pin 6 threaded in said standard, while the other end of said shaft 4 enters the hub 7 of a ratchet wheel 8, which hub is journaled in the standard 3, as best shown in Fig. 6. Shaft 4 is provided with a pin 9 entering recesses 10 in the hub 7 so that as the ratchet wheel 8 is rotated reel 5 will be rotated by it and therefore wind up the paper to an-extent dependent, of course, upon the extent to which it is rotated. The mechanism for engaging the ratchet and rotating it and the reel 5 consists of a pawl 11 pivotally mounted in the upper end of an armature 12 and held yieldingly in engagement with the teeth of said ratchet wheel by a spring 13. The armature 12 is a short shaft 14 fast to said armature 12 and journaled, as best shown in Fig. 6, at one end in the hub 7 and at the other end in a standard 15 rising from the base 1. "he actuating movements of the armature 12 are effected by a magnet 16, the armature 12 being shaped at its upper and lower ends so as to adapt it for movement over and under the upper and lower pole pieces 17, 18, respectively, of the magnet. Movement of armature 12 in the opposite direction is effected by a spring 19, one end of which is connected with the armature 12, while the other end thereof bears against lower pole piece 17.

Energization of the magnet 16 may, of course, be effected by means of any suitable circuit connections, but for convenience in arriving at an understanding of the utility of this invention in connection with telautographs, 1 have applied to the two circuit wires (Fig. 2) for this magnet the same ref erence numerals 66 67 as those applied to the two circuit wires of the paper shifting magnet illustrated in the receivinginstrument of my application Serial Number 343,696, filed November 16, 1906. It will be understood, of course, that upon the closing of the circuit of which wires 66, 67 constituto a part, magnet 16 will be energized and armature 12 rocked from the inclined position shown, for example, in Figs. 3 and 1. to the substantially vertical position shown in Fig. 5, and that when so rocked its pawl 11 engaging the toothed rim of ratchet 8, will rotate said ratchet 8 and therefore reel 5 to an extent depending upon the length of stroke of armature 12 when so actuated. It will also be understood that when magnet 1.6 is deenergized by the breaking of the circuit, spring 19 will rock armature 12 in the opposite direction, that is, from the position shown in Fig. to the inclined or more inclined position illustrated, for example, in Fig. 3 or 1.

The forward or actuating movement of armature 12 is limited by a stop 2O consisting of a plate 21 secured to the upper pole piece 18 of magnet 16, with insulating and cushioning material 22 interposed between it and said pole piece, said plate with said insulating and cushioning material extending into the path of movement of the pawl 11 so as to engage and arrest the movement of said pawl and the armature 12 when they reach the position illustratedv in Fig. 5. The backward or non-actuating movement of armature 12 limited by a rear stop 23 also faced with cushioning material 24 and ad aptcd to engage the rear side of armature 12. This stop 23 formed at the upper end of an arm 25 pivotally mounted on the hub T of ratchet 8, as best shown in Fig. 6, and adapted, through the connections which will now be described, to be rocked on said hub 7 so as to bring the stop 23 closer to the forward stop 20 or farther away from said stop 20 for the purpose of automatically varying the length of stroke of armature 12, and, therefore, the extent to which reel 5 is rotated.

The connections for so adjusting the arm 25 and its stop consist of an arm 26, held yieldingly against the paper wound on reel 5 by a coil-spring 26, a rock shaft 27 to which said arm 26 is fixed and which is journaled in brackets 28, 29, on the base 1, a radial arm 30 fixed to said shaft 27, and a link 31 connecting said arm 30 with the lower end of arm 25. Spring 26 encircles shaft 27, has one end connected with bracket 28, and bears at its upper end against arm 26. As the paper accumulates on the reel, the upper end of arm 26 will, of course, be moved thereby away from the axis of the reel and-thereby rock the shaft 27. As shaft 27 is thus rocked, its radial arm 30 will, through link 31 swing the upper end of arm inwardly toward stop 20, thus bringing back stop 23 closer to said stop 20 and decreasing the backward movement of armature 12, and, therefore, the length of its next actuating stroke when magnet 16 is energized. This adjusting mechanism and the actuating mechanism are so constructed and arranged relatively to each other and to the reel 5 that arm 25 will, after each actuation of armature 12, be so adjusted that the next actuating movement of said armature will result in the feed, over the writing field, of. the same length of paper as that fed on the preceding actuating movement of the armature. A spring pressed pawl 32 prevents overthrow of the reel and retains it in the position to which it is moved by the pawl 11.

What I claim is 1. In telautographic apparatus, the combination with paper shifting mechanism comprising a reel and actuating mechanism therefor, of electro-magnetic means controlling the operation of said actuating mechanism, and means for automatically varying the extent of rotation of the reel as the quantity of material wound thereon varies, comprising a member adapted for yielding engagement with the wound roll of material and for radial movement relatively to the axis of the reel.

2. In telautographic apparatus, the combination with paper shifting mechanism comprising a reel and pawl and ratchet actuating mechanism therefor, of electromagnetic means controlling the operation of said actuating mechanism, and means for automatically varying the extent of rotation of the reel as the quantity of material wound thereon varies, comprising a. member adapted for yieldingengagement with the wound roll of material and for radial move ment relatively to the axis of the reel, and a member moving therewith and controlling the engagement of the pawl and ratchet mechanism.

3. In telautographic apparatus, the combination with paper shifting mechanism comprising a reel and actuating mechanism therefor comprising a ratchet connected with the reel and a reciprocating arm carrying an actuating pawl for engaging the ratchet, of electro-magnetic means controlling the operation of said actuating mechanism, and means for automatically varying the extent of rotation of the reel as the quantity of material wound thereon varies, comprising a member adapted for yielding engagement with the wound roll of material and for radial movement relatively to the axis of the reel, and a member moving therewith and determining the point at which the pawl engages the ratchet.

4. In telautographic apparatus, the combination with paper shifting mechanism comprising a reel and actuating mechanism therefor comprising a ratchet connected with the reel and a reciprocating arm carrying an actuating pawl for engaging the ratchet, of electro-magnetic means controlling the operation of said actuating mechanism, and means for automatically varying the extent of rotation of the reel as the quantity of material wound thereon varies, comprising a member adapted for yielding engagement with the wound roll of material and for radial movement relatively to the axis of the reel, and a member moving therewith and determining the stroke of the pawl carrying arm and therefore the point at which the pawl thereof engages the ratchet.

5. In telautographic apparatus, the combination with paper shifting mechanism comprising a reel and electrically-controlled actuating mechanism therefor, of electromagnetic means controlling the operation of said actuating mechanism, and means for automatically varying the extent of rotation of the reel as the quantity of material WOllIlCl thereon varies, comprising a member adapted for yielding engagement with the wound roll of material and for radial movement relatively to the axis of the reel.

6. In telautographic apparatus, the com bination with paper shifting mechanism comprising a reel and electrically-controlled awl and ratchet actuatin mechanism therefor, of electro-magnetic means controlling the operation of said actuating mechanism, and means for automatically varying the extent of rotation of the reel as the quantity of material wound thereon varies, comprising a member adapted for yielding engagement with the wound roll of material and for radial movement relatively to the axis of the reel, and a member moving therewith and controlling the engagement of the pawl and ratchet mechanism.

7. In telautographic apparatus, the combination with paper shifting mechanism comprising a reel and actuating mechanism therefor comprising a ratchet connected with the reel, a reciprocating arm carrying an actuating pawl for engaging the ratchet, and a magnet for actuating said arm, of electro-magnetic means controlling the operation of said actuating mechanism, and means for automatically varying the extent of rotation of the reel as the quantity of material wound thereon varies, comprising a member adapted for yielding engagement with the wound roll of material and for radial movement relatively to the axis of the reel, and a member moving therewith and determining the point at which the pawl engages the ratchet.

8. In telautographic apparatus, the combination with paper shifting mechanism comprising a reel and actuating mechanism therefor comprising a ratchet connected with the reel, a reciprocating arm carrying an actuating pawl for engaging the ratchet, and a magnet for actuating said arm, of electro-magnetic means controlling the operation of said actuating mechanism, and means for automatically varyingthe extent of rotation of the reel as the quantity of material wound thereon varies, comprising a member adapted for yielding engagement with the wound roll of material and for radial movement relatively to the axis of the reel, and a member moving therewith and determining the stroke of the pawl carrying arm and therefore the point-at which the pawl thereof engages the ratchet.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

RALPH W. ARMSTRONG.

Witnesses:

J. A. GRAvns, W. H. KENNEDY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

